


no place i'd rather be

by MoraMew



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Anxiety, But only by a year, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Teenagers with Feelings, high school babies awkwardly fumbling their way together, second year Yachi, third year Kyoutani, train riding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-12 00:12:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12947097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoraMew/pseuds/MoraMew
Summary: It's not moving without some changes.Yachi moves before her second year and ends up with a new train line, acrushfriend she didn't expect, and too many feelings for a girl just trying to manage the boys' volleyball club in between keeping up with homework.





	1. Unexpected Events

**Author's Note:**

> ahhhh  
> this is probably going to be a short fic updated at random times but this is an au [Souliebird](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Souliebird/pseuds/Souliebird) and I talked about and just  
> teenagers with feelings and soft KyouYachi. it's my weakness.  
> And I finished in time for the grumpy pup's birthday so I couldn't resist posting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im love kyouyachi

"Moving?!"  
  
It comes out more shocked than Yachi means, her voice pitching with distress and squeaking ever so slightly. Her mother frowns at her a little but she takes a breath too, as if trying to draw on some sort of patience.  
  
"Yes," her mother tells her, slowly. "Our lease is ending soon and we're due for a new place, don't you think? There's a lovely little penthouse I've got my eye on and it's not like you would have to change schools or anything."  
  
Yachi swallows at the practical tone that her mother's words carry. She knows she doesn't have a true say in moving and some bitter, mean, ugly part of her wants to point out that her mother shouldn't care about moving, seeing as she's rarely home enough to appreciate the apartment that they _do_ have.  
  
Yachi inwardly flinches at that nasty thought and curls her nails into her palms so the flinch doesn't travel outwards, bites her bottom lip and frowns.  
  
"But...but moving?" Yachi almost whispers, sounding strangely desperate. "At- at the end of the school year? I, um...wouldn't- wouldn't it distract me from finals?"  
  
It's ridiculous, she knows, to be upset about this when it's not going to affect her too much outside of having to take a different line to school and go through the hassle of unpacking and packing along with filling out a few forms for school. But, despite all the progress Yachi has made in the past year, change is _still_ very hard for her and she's already so used to her line and what if she gets lost and what if it's further away from her friends and what if they don't want to visit her in a new place and what if-  
  
Her mother huffs and she's very clearly annoyed with Yachi now, looking at her with an expression that screams 'I don't understand you. How are you my daughter?' It's a look that Yachi's seen many times before, a look that cuts through her anxious, rambling thoughts and deep into her heart.  
  
Yachi blinks and tries to ignore the stinging in her eyes.  
  
"We'd wait until your break, of course," her mother tells her matter-of-factly. "It won't take too long to settle in. It shouldn't disrupt your studies." Yachi doesn't say anything in response, only swallows, and her mother eyes her before continuing on. "It's a nice place. I have a few free hours on Sunday. We'll go on a tour."  
  
It's said with a finality that makes Yachi's heart sink. There's no getting out of it, no way to protest.  
  
Yachi swallows and she nods, smile wavering as her nails threaten to break the skin of her palms.  


* * *

Sunday is three days away. Yachi frets to Yamaguchi in that time and Yamaguchi reassures her that moving will be fine, teases her lightly that a penthouse is something that should be looked forward to. Tsukishima even breaks in to comment dryly about her now apparently confirmed rich girl status and Yachi is left flushing from her head to her toes.  
  
She's not rich. Her mother isn't rich. They're well off and Yachi knows that, vaguely, but they're not _rich_. It's just that her mother works hard (and constantly) and they don't really go on vacations or do anything big so their money is saved up enough that her mother can decide on a penthouse being their new home.  
  
That's what Yachi tells herself, at least. She's minorly terrified of what would happen if she did get the label of little rich girl, if her friends would treat her differently or if there would be gossip over why she's at Karasuno instead of one of the nicer schools. She doesn't want that; she just wants to live a calm, happy life.  
  
Which is a bit silly to want considering the team she manages.  
  
Hinata squawks, loudly, once Yamaguchi lets it slip about Yachi moving. She doesn't get the chance to reassure him that she wouldn't transfer schools before he starts a loud, rambling, nearly incomprehensible tangent about how they _can't_ lose their manager and who is going to help him practice when Kageyama is being a butt and how he still needs her to help him in English Lit and who will run the volleyball team's new social media and he'll _miss_ her and there's _no way_ that she can be allowed to move.  
  
It's honestly touching, in a way, and Yachi finds herself warm and flushing with just how much of a fuss he works up over it.  
  
Tsukishima is the one to cut the rambling off with an annoyed "tch" and a "let her talk before you get too worked up and your tiny brain melts from overload." It brings a whine and an argument, of course, but then Yachi is able to explain once things settle down. Hinata ends up seeming excited for her and that's nice, maybe, but she's still left nervous over the whole ordeal.  
  
Especially once she finds out just where her home to be is.  
  
It's a good thirty minutes away from their current apartment, out of the normal Karasuno district and firmly in the bounds of Seijoh. She doesn't know anyone that lives in the area and she's going to be a crow among plants, an outsider in the kingdom.  
  
She's going to be alone.  
  
That realization is enough to make her panic and she's not quite able to pay attention during the tour her mother drags her to. She's able to pick up on the fact that it's a lovely enough place- much bigger than their current home- but she's really not able to do much more than nod when she's expected and try to keep her anxiety off her face.  
  
She's ridiculous, she tells herself later that night, alone and pacing her bedroom. Absolutely _ridiculous_. Her friends will still want to visit. The train ride will be longer, yes, but it's not _too_ bad. She can handle riding to and from school by herself. It'll be fine, she'll be fine.  
  
(The thought of being alone more than she already is makes something icy creep through her ribs and around her heart. It's already bad enough once practice ends and she has to come home to the empty apartment but at least right now she has people to talk to on the ride home, a meager amount of time with company before she's all by herself)  
  
Yachi doesn't sleep that night and ends up almost missing her stop on the way to school the next morning.  


* * *

Time passes much too quickly.  
  
Managing the team, studying for finals, and, eventually, taking finals makes time pass in a blur. Before Yachi knows it, the school year is brought to an end and her mother is taking time off of work to finalize the paperwork for their new home and to pack up her belongings.  
  
Yachi has to hide two panic attacks during the process and wonders if she should talk to someone about it. She knows the fear is unnecessary and it doesn't feel like she should be so scared and she wonders- not for the first time- if something is wrong with her.  
  
In the end she keeps it to herself; she doesn't want to bother anyone with it.  
  
Yamaguchi does ask about her anxiety, though, on the day before they actually move. He asks her if she's still nervous, if she's still worried and frantic. Yachi is able to admit to him that she is but tones it down so as not to burden him, quietly tries to play it off as whining when she mumbles about the all too real possibility of being the only Karasuno student on the train. He reassures her that she will be fine- like he always does- and Yachi repeats it to herself again and again long after she hangs up the phone.  
  
_I'll be fine. I'll be fine. I'll be fine.  
  
_

* * *

The actual physical part of moving is just as stressful as the mental and emotional side of it. Her mother hires a moving company to haul their boxes to their new place and directs them where to place everything with her usual tone of authority. Yachi is left fluttering around helplessly, unsure of what to do and feeling embarrassed over watching the men carry their things in while she doesn't do anything to help.  
  
Eventually, her mother passes onto Yachi the responsibility of telling the men where she wants her own things and Yachi flushes furiously at that, squeaking out "over there, please" when asked where she wants her dresser, index finger nervously trembling when she points to a far wall.  
  
The men tease her over it, lightly, and Yachi is left a blushing mess from it, head ducked and eyes very pointedly not staring at prominent biceps and the tiny beads of sweat along temples.  
  
It's a relief when they leave.  
  
Both her and her mother jump straight into unpacking. Neither of them are very good at being lazy and Yachi knows that she won't be able to sleep if her room isn't in order.  
  
Her and her mother both fix their rooms up and leave the rest to the next day, end up ordering take out and awkwardly spending time together while they eat dinner. They don't really know how to talk to each other outside of conversations about school and work and, in the end, Yachi goes to bed early just to escape the tense air between them and her mother retires to her room with a glass of wine and the excuse of wanting to check on work emails.  
  
She feels guilty about it, just a bit, but it's honestly been a long time since they've both had time to actually talk and be around each other and Yachi doesn't really know how she's supposed to act in her mother's presence. Some part of her is still upset over moving and some part of her feels shy and some part of feels bitter and some part of her feels scared.  
  
It's frustrating. She should be able to talk to her mother without feeling as if they're strangers.  
  
But. She can't. She's a bad daughter and she can't put aside her childish feelings, her anxious thoughts.  
  
Yachi doesn't sleep well that night. And, in the room on the other side of the penthouse, her mother doesn't either.  


* * *

It gets a little easier. Unpacking takes a few days and, slowly, being around her mother gets a little easier. Yachi is able to talk to her about things outside of school and her mother tells her little stories about this and that while they work through the living room, the kitchen, the dining area.  
  
It's still awkward but at least Yachi doesn't feel like running.  
  
They finish up after a third day and Yachi knows she's going to end up rearranging the kitchen soon after watching her mother put things in odd places, but they _do_ finish up. Her mother informs her that she'll have the next day off and then it'll be back to work for her.  
  
Yachi doesn't think her mother has taken off this much time in years. Maybe not since her father died.  
  
When Yachi wakes up on the fourth day, she's nervous. During the couple of days before, they had something to do while they were around each other, had activities and duties to concentrate on when things got awkward and conversation died. But now everything is unpacked and tidied up. Now they don't have anything to fill the void.  
  
So it's an utter relief when her mother announces she wants to take Yachi shopping.  
  
Shopping with her mother is an _experience_. Yachi is usually too shy to ask for anything she wants but her mother seems determined to spoil her senseless. It's one of the few times she's soft with her and it's...  
  
Well. It's nice, mostly. Yachi generally saves the allowance her mother gives her and doesn't really spend frivolously so it's _nice_ being pampered like this.  
  
Though...sometimes it makes Yachi feel as if her mother is trying to make up for not being home with it or that she's trying to buy her love or that she doesn't know how to show her love outside of buying Yachi every little thing she wants. Those thoughts make it uncomfortable, has her feeling a little uncertain as her mom takes her to shop after shop.  
  
Yachi tries not to think about it, though, and quietly allows her mother to drag her around instead, even enjoys it just a bit when her mother insists on her trying on outfits and showing them off to her when they pop into a clothing store.  
  
Yachi ends up coming home with a few new outfits, a bottle of perfume that smells like wildflowers, succulents for her computer desk, and a small bounty of yarn and a new knitting loom. It's a lot, definitely too much, but her mother insists on it and Yachi has never really been able to convince her mother to change her mind on anything. So, she quietly thanks her instead and promises herself to try to make up for it, in anyway she can.  
  
Later that night, once her mother has retreated to her bedroom, Yachi curls herself up in bed and tries to start a new scarf with her new loom. The repetitive action of hooking and pulling on the yarn helps calm her but, still, there is an undercurrent of anxiety buzzing beneath her skin.  
  
She wants to not worry over how her heart will handle it when her mother is back to work. She wants to be happy about the move, excited to show off to her friends. She wants to be curious about exploring her new neighborhood. She wants to be pleased about a bigger room, a walk in closet.  
  
She wants to be normal, for once.  
  
Yachi completes a scarf that night and two little coasters, makes it about half-way through a wash rag before sleep overtakes her and she ends up passing out in the corner of her bed- yarn on her lap and her brow furrowed with frustration.  


* * *

The next day, her mother is gone by the time that Yachi wakes up. It's nothing new but it pricks at Yachi a bit more than usual and she ends up turning her music up too loud to drown out the silence.  
  
She makes it until a little after noon before giving in and texting Yamaguchi, asking if he and Tsukishima want to meet up to do anything.  
  
He tells her he wants to come over to her "new crib" and Yachi's lips twitch with a nervous amusement over that as she texts him the address.  
  
It takes about two hours for him to come over- his mother had given him chores- but he does arrive and Yachi's heart swells with relief when there's another person in the penthouse with her.  
  
"Nice digs," Yamaguchi tells her, whistling in appreciation when Yachi leads him into the living room. He's picked up some slang ever since he started hanging out with Tanaka more and it's, really, _very_ amusing. "It's bigger than I expected."  
  
Yachi nods and sighs, arms folded across her chest as she eyes the room. It is big and it's quite open- which is a nice way to combat her paranoia over a sudden onslaught of more room than she's used to. The whole place looks sparse, almost minimalistic with the furniture and decorations they brought with them and Yachi wonders over if her mother will really hire a decorator like she had mused about the day before.  
  
"It's a little creepy," Yachi confesses, following after Yamaguchi as he pads over to peer out the window and to the street below. "I'm not used to there being so much space."  
  
Yamaguchi hums, sympathetically, and turns to her with an almost absent minded smile.  
  
"At least it's new, though," he points out. "No worries about it being haunted."  
  
Yachi huffs and tries to shove the thought away before her mind can cling to the idea; she already gets far too little sleep to start angsting about possible ghosts.  
  
"Why didn't Tsukki come?" Yachi asks, changing the subject. "He hasn't left for his family trip yet, right?"  
  
This time it's Yamaguchi that huffs and Yachi knows almost instantly that there's been a fight between them.  
  
Ah, well, it was about time for one.  
  
Yamaguchi launches into a grumbling rant and Yachi listens patiently, drawing her best friend to the kitchen so she can make him some tea. It's a familiar fight, one she's heard the arguments for on both sides, but Yachi lets him vent and quietly puts the kettle on, searches for where her mother stored the tea.  
  
"-and I mean, I get it. I do. But it's also, like, grow the fuck up? Sometimes you have to talk to people you don't want to. And, fucking- _god_. We're going to be second years with the new semester and that means we're going to be senpai and we'll have first years to look after on the team. What if he doesn't like them? Is he just going to be a little bitch to them too? Honestly, I-"  
  
Yamaguchi has also picked up swearing from Tanaka. It generally only bleeds through when he's upset but it's still a new development that makes Yachi's eyes widen with each _fuck_ and _damn_. She tries to ignore it the best she can, doesn’t say anything about it and just lets him continue on.  
  
Yachi picks out chamomile for Yamaguchi’s tea and sets the bag in his favorite mug, pours water over it as he continues on. She chooses lapsang for herself and brings down her own favorite mug, nods absently when Yamaguchi pauses for breath. It's enough for him to continue on and Yachi quietly waits for the tea to seep before removing the bags and pushing Yamaguchi's over to him. She cups her own in her hands and thumbs across the chipped rim, waits patiently for Yamaguchi to run out of steam.  
  
It takes a while.  
  
Yamaguchi might call Tsukishima the dramatic one in their relationship (he is) but Yamaguchi is, honestly, right up there with him. They feed off each other when it comes to their bouts and it's always so, so easy to tell when they're fighting just to fight.  
  
This is one of those times.  
  
Yachi herds Yamaguchi back to the living room and curls up in the armchair while he sits on the couch, hiding an exasperated and tired smile with a sip of her tea. It's still a little too hot but the smoky flavor makes her sigh with some small pleasure, has her focusing on it instead of the quiet thrum of anxiety that's still simmering beneath her skin.  
  
Yamaguchi and Tsukishima's fights are generally a good distraction for her. (Or, well, not _good_. She doesn't _want_ them to fight) It's a little lacking today, though, and Yachi has to force herself to focus on it instead of her mind and all the quiet, wordless worries buzzing throughout her.  
  
She must not do a very good job of looking attentive because Yamaguchi huffs half-way through his rant and hugs a pillow to his chest, bites his lip in a small pout.  
  
"Sorry, Yacchan," he tells her with a sigh. "I know it's not fun listening to me whine."  
  
Yachi shakes her head immediately and swallows her guilt along with a quick sip of tea, fixes a small smile onto her face.  
  
"No, no. This is what friends are for," Yachi reassures him quietly, gently. "I'm here to listen."  
  
Yamaguchi sighs and then groans, arms flexing as he holds the pillow tighter against him. "I just- I just hate that he's so closed off sometimes. I know it's, like, some defense mechanism but still..."  
  
"He needs patience," Yachi tells him for what feels like the fiftieth time. "Yes, he could try harder. But...you can't just force someone into something they don't want to do. He's getting better."  
  
Yamaguchi lets out an extremely unflattering whine and slouches over, his lips pushing into a pout. Yachi almost rolls her eyes but refrains from doing so, sips of her tea instead.  
  
"I _guess_ ," Yamaguchi concedes in a grumble. "He _did_ willingly hang out a little with Hinata and Kageyama the other day."  
  
"See? That's progress!" Yachi chirps, maybe a bit too enthusiastically.  
  
Yamaguchi huffs again and there are a few moments of quiet between them, him eyeing her as she drinks her tea. He puts the pillow down after another few moments and then grabs his own mug, finally drinks from it and sighs.  
  
"How were you and your mom?" Yamaguchi asks, clearly moving on. Yachi almost wishes he wouldn't. "You know, during the whole moving thing."  
  
He waves his hand in a vague gesture after and Yachi sighs quietly, holds her mug just a bit tighter.  
  
"It was...awkward," Yachi confesses, voice small. "I..."  
  
She almost admits to the moments where she wished her mother was at work instead of at home but sighs instead and stuffs those particularly petty and mean feelings deep, deep down inside of her.  
  
She hates those feelings. Yachi is _not_ a petty or mean person and she tries to be patient and understanding always. She's horrified when that nasty side peeks its head up, mortified when her thoughts turn bitter. She doesn't _want_ to be mean or cynical or unfair.  
  
She just wants to be happy.  
  
Yachi sighs and traces her thumb over the handle of her mug, bites her lip at the expectant look on Yamaguchi's face.  
  
"It was just...weird," she mumbles to him. "I'm not used to spending time with her."  
  
Yamaguchi nods and it's emphatic in a way that she knows most of her friends wouldn't be able to be. His mother is absent a lot, too, and he knows how odd it can be suddenly getting a lot of time with them.  
  
Though, at least he had Tsukishima with him growing up.  
  
That's a guilty, bitter thought and Yachi quickly washes it down with the last of the lapsang and wipes her mouth off with the back of her hand, looks to the side.  
  
"She did take me shopping yesterday," Yachi mumbles, voice holding some strange sense of embarrassment. "I got a new loom. I made a scarf last night."  
  
Yamaguchi raises his brow but he obviously senses her desire to change the subject and lets out a little hum, offers her a small smile.  
  
"Yeah? I wanna see," he tells her.  
  
Yachi nods and they both get up, head toward her bedroom.  
  
Showing him the scarf leads her to showing him the new loom, which leads her to showing him a blanket she finished recently, which leads to Yamaguchi insisting she teach him sometime, which leads to talk about summer homework, which leads to them both groaning.  
  
It's nice, though. Her relationship with her mother is pushed into the background and Yamaguchi's fight with Tsukishima gets shoved to the side. They talk and gossip and forget their worries until the sun goes down, until Yamaguchi is called home by his mother.  
  
Yachi sees him off with a smile, waving from the station. It drops when the train pulls away and Yachi ends up sighing quietly to herself, heart clenching at the thought of how empty it is back at home.  
  
She goes back to the penthouse and finishes up the wash rag, starts making a new blanket.

* * *

The break in between the end of her first year and the beginning of her second flies by in what feels like an instant. It's a blur of volleyball and homework, hanging out with her friends, and poking around her new neighborhood. Yachi makes sure to fill every moment with some sort of activity and wears herself out until she's able to sleep as soon as her head hits the pillow each night.  
  
She even starts a tiny little work out in an effort to tire herself out. It's nothing to brag about- just a quick jog in the park nearby in the morning. It's nothing much and she feels silly doing it without real purpose but, in a way, it's nice and it helps soothe some of her faceless anxiety.  
  
It does nothing to help, though, when the break finally ends and it's back to school with her.  
  
Yachi wakes up earlier than she usually does on a school day and jogs through the park, tries very hard to concentrate on the music in her ears and how nice and empty the little wood trail that she's taken a liking to is. She focuses on her breathing and focuses on keeping a steady pace, thinks over what Kageyama has told her about running and tries to follow his advice.  
  
She focuses and she tries not to worry but her apprehension still rears its head and she ends up breaking into a run despite herself, flies through the trail and ends up in front of her door panting and red faced, sweating as she unlocks the door. Her head pounds unpleasantly from the exertion and the gross feeling of nausea runs through her when she bends over slightly to toe off her shoes, her music too loud in her ears and coming off wonky with her heart beating so loud beneath the lyrics.  
  
_"-Ride and watch hentai, all the time with  
_ _Senpai-"  
  
_ Yachi yanks her earbuds out and feels her face flush darker, mild embarrassment running through her over the music selection. It's one of Tanaka's playlists and it's absolutely ridiculous but good to work out to, leaves her a tiny bit distracted from her anxiety as she exits out of the app.  
  
Anxiety that rears right back up when a confused "Hitoka?" sounds suddenly and has her jumping, her heart beating that much faster as she gasps and slaps a hand to her chest.  
  
It's just her mother, Yachi realizes a moment too late, body slumping in some sort of relief and adrenaline bleeding from her. She hadn't expected her mother to be home, to have company in the morning.  
  
She flushes over the state she's in- red faced and sweaty and gross- and her mother blinks at her, already perfectly put together for the day and looking surprised as she eyes Yachi.  
  
"Why are you so...sweaty?" her mother asks in lieu of a 'good morning.'  
  
"Um..." Yachi flushes more and clears her throat, tries to catch her breath. "I...I've started running over the break."  
  
Her mother blinks and nods, a quiet 'huh' leaving her before she folds her arms over her chest.  
  
"I didn't know," her mother tells her. She blinks, again, and it almost seems like she has something she wants to say, but then she sighs quietly and nods toward the kitchen. "I'm running late but there are muffins in the kitchen if you want them. I hope your first day back goes well."  
  
Yachi gets half a second to feel some sort of astonishment before her mother shifts in the hallway and looks pointedly toward the door. Yachi moves out of the way automatically and mumbles a 'have a nice day' to her and then her mother is gone, leaving Yachi feeling more winded than her jog turned sprint had.  
  
She's not used to seeing her mother in the mornings. She can't remember, either, the last time her mother was there to wish her a good day at the start of the semester.  
  
Something about it makes her heart twist and Yachi swallows hard, has to practically force herself to walk to the kitchen and check out the muffins.  
  
They're strawberry. They're her favorite.  
  
If Yachi cries a little in the shower later, no one has to know.  


* * *

She showers, she eats, she gets ready for school.  
  
It feels a bit strange to put her uniform on after having the freedom to wear what she wanted over the break, but that's normal. Yachi fusses over it more than she should and ties and unties her hair again and again just so she has something to do with her hands. In a last minute decision, she grabs the tube of mascara her mother bought her over the break and puts it on.  
  
It's nothing much and it honestly doesn't change her appearance outside of making her eyes stand out a bit more. But it's new and it makes her nerves flutter with a different sort of anxiety than the one that had been coursing through her all morning.  
  
She tucks the mascara into her school bag and then heads to the train station.  
  
It's warm out and busy as she walks and it really doesn't do any favors for her too quick beating heart. She's used to walking to the station by now from visiting her friends and the school for practice over the break but she feels much too visible this morning, like people are staring at her as she waits on the platform.  
  
They probably are, her mind tells her. Her uniform certainly stands out enough among the cream and brown of Seijoh.  
  
Yachi stares at the ground and tries not to hunch her shoulders, swallows when she feels the pinprick of sweat start to itch along her hairline. She tells herself to calm down, that surely everyone is paying attention their phones or their friends or last minute adjustments to homework. She's of no importance; she doesn't stick out as much as she thinks she does.  
  
"Isn't that the Karasuno uniform?"  
  
Yachi flinches without meaning to and the train pulls in, drowning out the response to the question muttered behind her.  


* * *

The train ride is awful.  
  
People stare and people whisper and- as desperately as she wishes it was- it's _not_ her mind playing tricks on her.  
  
She's literally the only non-adult in the car wearing a different uniform than the rest.  
  
It doesn't help that there is a quick stop after she boards and new Seijoh students spill onto the train. She finds herself stared at more and stares at the ground herself, curling into the corner of the train and clinging to a pole.  
  
Beside her, someone tall laughs. In front of her, a group of girls whisper quietly to themselves. Yachi can just hear them gossiping about her over the chatter of the other passengers (why is she on this line? who is she? bet she stayed at her boyfriend's last night) and it makes tears threaten to fill her eyes, her knuckles turning white as she grips the pole tighter.  
  
Yachi doesn't liking people looking at her. And she _really_ doesn't like being given attention like this.  
  
There's another stop and a few people shuffle closer to her, grab her attention with a clearing of their throats.  
  
Yachi doesn't want to look up at them but she doesn't have her earbuds to pretend she can't hear the way they're obviously trying to grab her attention. It was stupid of her to leave them at home and she hates herself a little for doing so.  
  
Yachi blinks the tears from her eyes and takes a deep breath, lifts her head to look at them.  
  
Three boys- tall and broad and intimidating. They're wearing the Seijoh uniform and its loose on all of them, not pulled together quite right. They smile at her and their expressions have the edge of a leer, the tilt of a smirk.  
  
One of them very obviously runs his eyes up and down her body and it takes all of Yachi's self-control not to shrink back further into her little corner.  
  
"What's a Karasuno girl doing on this line?" the tallest asks. "Shouldn't you be further south?"  
  
Yachi's cheeks heat up and they laugh, grinning almost lazily down at her.  
  
"I like your uniform," the tan one tells her. "Didn't know the skirts came that short at your school."  
  
Yachi's eyes widen in mortification and she does shrink back this time, heart pounding with some cold panic and her knees threatening to knock together self-consciously. Her fingers twitch at her side and she very nearly reaches to tug her skirt down lower, try to cover her thighs.  
  
The one that hasn't spoken up yet opens his mouth and Yachi's shoulders tense, her lips press together. She wishes, desperately, that she was on her old line with people she knew and the familiar faces that had brought her comfort.  
  
"Cut the shit."  
  
Yachi jerks and looks around for the new voice, finds her eyes going impossibly wide when she comes almost face to face with _Kyoutani Kentarou_ glaring over the side of the seat.  
  
Oh. Oh, _god_.  
  
Before she can really register his sudden appearance- when had he gotten on? she didn't even consider the possibility of riding with the volleyball team members- he narrows his eyes at her and a squeak leaves Yachi as her faces pales.  
  
"Come here," Kyoutani orders, voice blunt and gruff.  
  
Yachi blinks and her mouth falls open in shock, confusion spiraling through her brain.  
  
"What the fuck, Mad Dog?" one of the trio whines, voice a bit grating. Yachi barely picks up on him speaking with the bewilderment clouding her mind. "We weren't doing nothin'."  
  
Kyoutani doesn't so much as glance over at them but frowns at Yachi, looking impatient and annoyed as she just stands there staring at him.  
  
What does he expect of her?  
  
Kyoutani's eyes narrow even more and he bares his teeth into some sort of half-snarl, clearly aggravated at the way she just keeps blinking at him. It's enough to make her heart beat in triple time and Yachi squeaks, again, before darting from her little corner and going to stand in front of him.  
  
She feels like she's in some sort of weird stress dream when he lifts his bag from the seat beside him and points at the now empty spot with a scowl.  
  
"Sit."  
  
Yachi obeys out of instinct- out of the _absurdity_ of the situation- and she finds herself sitting, eyes wide and shocked as she turns her head to look over at Kyoutani.  
  
He just looks down at his phone and shoves his earbuds back in, ignores her existence as if he didn't just demand she sit by him. When she looks at the trio of boys that had been bothering her, they're staring at her in disbelief. She stares back at them and then they drift away to stand somewhere else, huffing to themselves. Kyoutani still doesn't look at her when her eyes drift to him again and Yachi drops her head to look at her lap, stunned beyond all meaning.  
  
It's Yachi Hitoka's first day of her second year of high school and she's sitting next to Kyoutani Kentarou, Mad Dog of Sejioh, on the train to school.  
  
What?  


* * *

  
They don’t talk, they don’t speak. Even more people are staring at her now and Yachi _knows_ that they’re gossiping behind their hands, whispering and wondering why she’s sitting next to Kyoutani.  
  
It’s so much and Yachi should be upset by it but she’s mostly just dazed by it all, so very shocked that she can’t do more than stare down at her lap, listen to her too quick beating heart and the muffled murmurs around her.  
  
His stop comes before hers and she blinks when she feels him stir beside her, stand from the seat. She can’t help looking up at him and curls her fingers into her palms when he glances down at her, tries not to shrink back against the seat at the blank expression on his face.  
  
“Your stop is next,” Kyoutani tells her, voice gruff.  
  
She opens her mouth in surprise and goes to mumble a confused “thank you?” but he’s already leaving before she can say anything and Yachi watches him walk off the train, slouching and avoided by the other passengers.  
  
“What?” she whispers to herself, unable to help it.  
  
Why? Why is he being _nice_ to her? He _is_ being nice to her, right? That’s...it’s…  
  
It’s too much to think about and Yachi doesn’t even know _what_ to think about it. It’s such an unexpected event, such a surprise. All she can do is blink in bafflement and look down at her hands, shake her head and try to right herself back into realignment.  
  
Well. At least he made those boys back off?  
  
Yachi sighs and tugs on her skirt hem, tries to cover her thighs with it more so. She thinks about ordering tights for her uniform, wonders if it would be too obvious to wear them after that little conversation.  
  
Yachi sighs again and slumps in the seat, closes her eyes as she waits for her stop.  
  
She feels exhausted and she’s not even at school yet. She hopes this isn’t a prelude to a strange sort of day.  


* * *

  
It ends up not being a strange day but a draining one and Yachi totally forgets about her intentions to share her odd train ride with Yamaguchi in the midst of getting back into the flow of classes and catching up with her friends. Her teachers assign homework and Coach Ukai announces that practices are going to get even more strict and it’s just a long, _long_ day.  
  
So long that she doesn’t even think about telling Yamaguchi about Kyoutani. So long that she doesn’t have the energy to get too nervous over the train ride home.  
  
When she stumbles onto the train, all she really thinks about is how she wants to get home and have a cup of tea and a snack, hurry through her homework and crash. The scant sleep she got the night before has left her fatigued and the adjustment to her peers- to so many people around her- has left her worn down mentally.  
  
She’s so tired. She just wants to nap.  
  
That’s what fills her head right up until the Seijoh kids start to filter into the train- snacks, her favorite comfy clothes, homework and a nap. It preoccupies her so thoroughly that she doesn’t quite notice the sudden influx of cream blazers and chattering students until one sits right next to her.  
  
Until _Kyoutani_ sits next to her.  
  
Yachi blinks and looks over to the side, feels her eyes widen ever so slightly as she stares at him. He glances at her but it’s quick and nearly dismissive, his eyes dropping down to his phone again. Yachi tries not to stare and forcefully turns her attention away, looks down at her lap in confusion.  
  
Why is he sitting next to her again? Was this just the first seat he saw? Is that his normal seat? Is there...is there a reason for it? Surely not, right? It’s just a coincidence. It has to be.  
  
Yachi frowns and shakes her head to try to dislodge her puzzled thoughts, glances around the train car to try to distract herself.  
  
That’s a bad idea. People are staring at her- again- and Yachi ends up flushing and ducking her head, nervousness skittering down her spine and her heart beating a little bit more quickly at the attention. It’s too much just sitting there with nothing to do and feeling overly conscious of the attention given to her.  
  
There’s no reason for them to stare, she thinks almost irritably, anxiously as she paws through her school bag to dig out her phone. She’s just going home, like them. She’s not doing anything _weird_. There’s no reason for them to keep looking at her.  
  
Still, though, it’s terribly unnerving and Yachi clutches her phone too tight, bites into her bottom lip as she tries so very hard to ignore the way her body is tense, how her skin pricks unpleasantly at the feelings of eyes on her.  
  
It gets a little easier the longer she rides. People leave at their stops and attention drifts from her and Yachi is able to relax ever so slightly when she’s finally not being studied by the Seijoh students.  
  
Of course, though, she still ends up jumping when there’s a shifting at her side, when a rough voice grumbles, “Your stop is next.”  
  
Yachi jerks and blinks, whips her head to look over at Kyoutani. He blinks at her and drops his head to his phone again, not saying anything else as he thumbs along the screen. Yachi is left with just such a profound sense of bewilderment over the small interaction that she almost doesn’t notice when the train starts to slow down. She thinks she should say something to him but she doesn’t know what and all she can come up with is a mumbled little “thank you” as the train comes to a stop.  
  
He nods, not looking over at her, and Yachi stands, feeling almost as if she’s suspended in some strange liminal space, perhaps even an odd fever dream. It’s just such a _surreal_ experience. A small, inconsequential one, yes. But still so very _unexpected_.  
  
Yachi blinks as the doors open and walks out without even noticing the remaining Seijoh students watching her as her leave, watching Kyoutani as he stays sitting.  
  
She walks home in an odd sort of haze and immediately kicks off her shoes, stumbles to her bedroom and sheds her clothes in exchange for her pajamas. She flops onto her bed and ends up staring at the ceiling, mind still perplexed and starting to crash in its fatigue.  
  
What a strange, long first day of school.  
  
Yachi rolls onto her side and checks her phone, feels something quietly warm flit through her when she notices that she has a text from her mother.  
  
_How was your first day back?_  
  
Again, another unexpected occurrence. How unusual for this to happen. How _peculiar_ this whole day has been.  
  
Yachi blinks and hesitates, considers all that had happened before replying back.  
  
_It was good._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new fic, a new adventure. Something fluffy and soft to offset the rest of my angst hell.
> 
> Come say hi and hello on [my tumblr](https://moramew.tumblr.com/)~


	2. Senseless Worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're wearing tights," Kyoutani repeats, ripping her from the panic that is threatening to send her spiraling. "You weren't wearing them before."
> 
> Oh. Oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of anxiety from yacchan in this chapter. she needs a nap and some reassurance

It keeps happening.  
  
Yachi doesn't know what to make of it.  
  
On her second day of the first semester of her second year of high school, Kyoutani sits next to her on the train. He sits next to her on the way going to school and on the way back home and people stare at them again and Yachi doesn't know what to think about it, what to do.  
  
So she just sits quietly, reading a book and texting her friends and trying to pretend that she can't feel her skin prickling from being watched or talked about. She wants to think it's paranoia saying that the Seijoh students are gossiping about her behind their hands, but it's a bit hard to think that to be true when they keep _staring_ at her.  
  
It's so embarrassing. Yachi doesn't know what to do.  
  
She tells herself that it's just coincidence that Kyoutani chose to sit next to her for a second day in a row. She tells herself that it's not going to happen again, that it's not going to become a thing.  
  
It does, though.  
  
Yachi doesn't know why, but Kyoutani sits next to her on her third of the first semester of her second year of high school. And then the fourth. And then the fifth.  
  
And then, after the weekend, he sits next to her on the sixth.  
  
So it's become a thing. And Yachi has no idea _why_.  
  
He doesn't talk to her on the train outside of grunting that her stop is coming up. He barely looks at her and plays on his phone instead or slumps in his seat while listening to music. He doesn't seem bothered by the fact that people stare at them or whisper behind their hands and Yachi struggles to find a reason why he continually chooses to sit next to her.  
  
She can't find a reason. She can't find a reason at all.  
  
It's weird sitting next to Kyoutani, at first. Anxiety inducing even. On the third day of it she almost has a panic attack trying to figure out what she's supposed to do with her train mate and on the fourth day she cries a little once she gets to school because she doesn't understand why he's sitting next to her or why people keep _staring_.  
  
It's the staring that bothers her the most. She can get used to quiet and grumpy seat mates- and she does- but she can't get used to the _staring_.  
  
Yachi can't understand why she- they?- is- are?- so interesting to the Seijoh students.  
  
She knows that it's an oddity and maybe a novelty to have a student from another school ride their line. She knows that on the first morning of her riding that there was a bit of a fuss. But she can't be that interesting to continue being looked over when the first week of the semester bleeds into the second. All Yachi does is sit and read on the train. She doesn't talk to anyone, she doesn't do anything except wait for her stops.  
  
There's no reason for them to stare.  
  
Yachi begins to dread the train rides.  
  
She doesn't mind that Kyoutani sits next to her or that he pointedly looks to the seat next to him whenever she boards the train in the morning. Some part of her thinks that it contribute to the staring, but another part of her thinks he keeps people away from her. She doesn't want a repeat of the first morning train ride and some part of her is grateful to have a consistent fixture throughout the rides. It's calming, a bit.  
  
Or would be, maybe, if she wasn't so much of a mess.  
  
It's weird. Yachi begins to relax sitting next to Kyoutani, but at the same time she feels on edge, hyper-aware of the eyes that linger on her. Paranoia blossoms in her mind through most rides and, despite her efforts, she ends up not being able to distract herself from them with her books and her texts to her friends.  
  
_Do I have something on my face? Is my skirt too short? The Seijoh girls don't wear their skirts so short. Should I get a new skirt? Should I start wearing tights? Oh, god, I should. But what if it's not that? What if it's something else? My hair? Does it look bad? Do I have a stain on my uniform? Has my mascara smeared again? What is it? What is it?_ **_What is it?  
  
_ ** It's nerve wracking and exhausting and the relief that washes over Yachi when the train pulls up to her stops makes her feel _pathetic_.  
  
What's wrong with her? Why do they stare?  
  
Yachi misses her old line so much.

* * *

The eighth day of the first semester of her second year of high school. Yachi sits on the train and Kyoutani sits next to her and people continue to stare.  
  
It feels more sharp this morning, the pinprick feeling of being observed. She had expected it, but it's still terribly unnerving, has her clutching her book too tight and wishing for one of her looms or one of her stim toys or _anything_ to help her calm down.  
  
She had expected more attention from the ones that stare. She hadn't expected Kyoutani's attention, however.  
  
It's so surprising that her mind doesn't grab onto and process the words that leave his mouth. She blinks at him a few times, stunned, and some voice in the back of her mind tells her she's being annoying by staring at him, that she looks foolish with her head tilted and her lips parted in confusion. That voice makes Yachi panic and she pales with her anxiety, flushes in embarrassment as Kyoutani blinks at her, blank faced.  
  
"I- I'm sorry," Yachi mumbles, nervous and torn between his attention and the way the train suddenly feels much too hot. "Um, what- what was that?"  
  
Her voice is too squeaky. Kyoutani huffs and Yachi almost shrinks back against her seat. People are staring at them with an intensity that makes her want to sprint back home and hide under her covers. The sound of conversation in the train seems louder. The seat feels more uncomfortable. Her heart can't stop pounding and Yachi wants to get off the train and she wants to _stop feeling like this.  
  
_ She wants to be normal.  
  
"You're wearing tights," Kyoutani repeats, ripping her from the panic that is threatening to send her spiraling. "You weren't wearing them before."  
  
Oh. Oh.  
  
Yachi blinks and she nods, a hand unconsciously going to rub over the smooth material covering her thighs. She had expected him to be the only person _not_ to notice. She doesn't know what to do with the knowledge that he's paid enough attention to her to notice her change in uniform. She doesn't know what to do with the knowledge that that's enough to make him talk to her.  
  
Yachi feels decidedly surreal and it's a bit absurd.  
  
"I...I, um, wanted to try something different?" she tells him, words uncertain and maybe even confused.  
  
She _is_ confused, though. He's not supposed to talk to her. That's not part of their routine.  
  
Kyoutani just blinks at her and then he nods, his attention going back to his phone. Yachi watches him for a moment, not knowing what to do, and turns her head to stare at her knees, the material of her new tights.  
  
They exchanged a handful of words. It shouldn't make her feel so off balance.  
  
It does, though, and Yachi ends up staring at her knees, dazed, as the train continues on its journey.  
  
He's not supposed to talk to her. Or, no, that's not it. It's not that he's not supposed to talk to her or that he's not allowed to. It's just- it's just _different_ to their routine and Yachi doesn't know what to make of it. She knows it's not a big deal and she doubts it will lead to more conversation, but she still feels so out of sync from their routine that it makes uncertainty creep through her veins.  
  
Vaguely, she panics. In her mind, a voice that sounds suspiciously like Tsukishima tells her that she's being ridiculous. She knows she is. She doesn't know how to stop, though.  
  
The ride that morning seems much more quick than usual. In the blink of an eye, it's time for the Seijoh students to disembark. Yachi blinks at that, surprised by how fast the ride has went, and looks up at Kyoutani when he stands from his seat. He looks down at her, as usual, and Yachi can swear that his eyes dart to her knees before they land on her face.  
  
"Your stop is next," he tells her, the same as usual.  
  
It's routine. It's normal. This part of the day is normal and Yachi _needs_ it to be normal because it's the point of the morning where she can start mentally relaxing from the tension of being looked at like some kind of specimen under a microscope.  
  
She needs it to be normal but she's still thrown off kilter by Kyoutani talking to her earlier so she's the one- of course- that makes this part of the routine _not_ normal.  
  
"Thank you," Yachi mumbles to him, the same as always. He looks away and her heart does a too sharp beat and her mind hurdles a command to her mouth before she can stop it. "Have a nice day."  
  
It's just a simple pleasantry, but as soon as it's out of her mouth, Yachi wants to crawl under the seats and scream in embarrassment. Kyoutani’s eyes find her again and her cheeks start to tint pink and it’s really, _really_ too hot on the train suddenly.  
  
Kyoutani tilts his head, looking vaguely confused, and then gives a nod to her, looks away once more.  
  
“You too,” he tells her, voice gruff.  
  
And then he’s walking off the train and Yachi is left by herself, struggling to push the incredible sense of being overwhelmed away.  
  
It’s so ridiculous to feel so confused and startled. It’s so ridiculous to feel so strange and off kilter. Other people don’t feel like this just from simple conversation, right? It wasn’t even a conversation. It was just _pleasantries_. She’s being so ridiculous. So, so ridiculous.  
  
Yachi rides the rest of the way to school in a daze and almost misses her stop.

* * *

  
Her morning is, unsurprisingly, off balance as well. Her teacher is sick so they have a substitute and they have a fire drill that disrupts class and the boy that sits in front of her is sick and quieter than usual and everything is just slightly slanted from what is normal.  
  
It’s overwhelming. It’s exhausting.  
  
By the time lunch rolls around, Yachi is ready for a nap. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima come to her class to eat with her and she knows her mental and emotional fatigue must show on her face by the way Yamaguchi raises a brow and by the way Tsukishima tilts his head ever so slightly.  
  
“You look tired,” Yamaguchi comments as he opens up his bento.  
  
Yachi thinks to deny it, but it’s true and she honestly doesn’t have the energy to brush it off and try to force herself into a more cheery state. She just nods instead and pokes at her onigiri with a chopstick, not sure if she’s really hungry or not.  
  
“It’s been a weird day,” Yachi mumbles, not looking up at them. “I just want to go home and nap.”  
  
Tsukishima makes a noise of agreement and then huffs as Yamaguchi steals his tomato. Yamaguchi ignores him, though, and there’s a hum from him before he pops the tomato into his mouth.  
  
“Maybe you’re getting sick?” Yamaguchi muses. “I think there’s some sort of virus going around.”  
  
Yachi makes a face at that and Tsukishima does as well, joint displeasure radiating from them both. They seem very in sync today and Yachi wonders if he’s had an exhausting morning as well.  
  
“There better not be,” Tsukishima grumbles, looking sour as he stabs at his tonkatsu. “It’s spring. We’re not supposed to get sick.”  
  
They all nod in agreement and then talk falls into practice and wondering over training camp and reminiscing about the year before. They’re sure that they’ll get invited back and Tsukishima seems relieved at the fact that Kuroo and Bokuto won’t be present for it.  
  
It’s a normal lunch and it helps Yachi settle a little, even herself out as they talk. By the time lunch is coming to a close, she feels a little better. It’s not tiring to smile at her friends when they stand up and that makes her feel even more herself, helps push away some of the fatigue clinging to her.  
  
Tsukishima glances at her while Yamaguchi says something to one of her classmates and taps his fingers against his elbow, raises a brow.  
  
“You’ve started wearing tights.”  
  
It’s not a question but a statement, an observation. Yachi nods and there’s a flutter of nerves in her stomach, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was earlier that morning. Tsukishima just blinks at her and then gives a little shrug before turning to Yamaguchi, grabbing his boyfriend so they can go back to class.  
  
“See you at practice.”  
  
Yachi tells them the same and they head on off. There’s an odd sort of feeling that settles over her as she puts up her bento box- tired, relieved, maybe vaguely guilty. She’s glad Tsukishima didn’t ask her why she started wearing the tights. She hasn’t told them yet about the train rides or her morning panic and, quite honestly, she’s not sure if she wants to.  
  
They’ll probably just tell her she’s being silly.  
  
Which she is.  
  
Yachi sighs and brings her notebooks back onto her desk, begins to prepare for class starting again.

* * *

  
Practice is hard. For the boys, physically. For Yachi, mentally. It’s louder than normal in the gym that day and she finds herself with a headache, an impatience to get home and into bed.  
  
It’s a relief when they’re let free. It’s a relief to get on the train.  
  
The rides back home aren’t as bad. They’re quiet and filled with less people. The Seijoh students on board do give her looks but the staring isn’t as intense and Yachi is tired enough by that time to not be as bothered by them.  
  
Kyoutani seems quieter than usual today, if that’s possible. There’s something in the way that he slumps a bit more than normal that suggests exhaustion, a worn out body and mind. Yachi doesn’t comment on it, but she idly wonders to herself if practice was hard for him, is just tired enough herself to not worry if the break in their routine that morning is going to make things weird.  
  
She’ll panic about it again later, she knows. But right now all she can focus on is the hot chocolate she wants to make once she gets home, the nap she wants to take.  
  
She’ll order out, she decides when her stomach gives a little rumble. She’s too tired to cook tonight. It’s been a long day; she can take a tiny break.  
  
Yachi hums to herself with decision and closes her eyes, tries not to yawn. She could almost fall asleep. She won’t, of course. But...the thought is tempting.  
  
Later, she decides. Later.  
  
She rides the train with her eyes closed, paying attention to the stops along the way. She peeks them open when she can tell she’s getting close and does let out a little yawn then, blinks tiredly at the empty seats across from her.  
  
Why is today so exhausting?  
  
At the stop before hers, Kyoutani stirs beside her. She glances over at him to find him scowling at his phone, the bags under his eyes looking a bit more prominent than usual.  
  
“Your stop is coming up,” he mumbles to her.  
  
She doesn’t understand why he tells her that everyday. It’s clear that she knows when to get off. But, in a way, it’s almost a little sweet and it’s a part of their routine that Yachi doesn’t mind.  
  
She nods to him and tries not to yawn in his face, tries to blink the sleepiness from her eyes.  
  
“Thank you,” she tells him, completing their customary exchange.  
  
He hums, the noise tired and low, and scrolls on his phone, doesn’t say anything else.  
  
Briefly, Yachi wonders if the break in the routine this morning even matters to him. It shouldn’t matter, right? It’s not something to be weird over, right? It’s nothing a normal person would fret over, right?  
  
Tired anxiety crawls over Yachi’s heart and she takes a deep breath, closes her eyes for a moment.  
  
She’s fine. Nothing changed. If anything it was just a little addition to her exchange, politeness she probably owes him for sitting next to her and keeping everyone away. It’s fine. She should have started doing that earlier, even. She should keep doing it, shouldn’t she? That would be the polite, nice thing to do...right?  
  
Oh, god. What if he thought she was rude for not wishing him a good day during their previous rides together?  
  
Panic snaps Yachi’s eyes open and her fingers curl into her palms tight, mortification running through her.  
  
Oh. Oh no. He probably thinks she’s so rude. She just stared at him on the first day and she’s never wished him a good day before today and she doesn’t try to talk to him and _oh no_.  
  
Oh, she’s probably given him the _worst_ impression.  
  
Yachi panics and she tries to talk herself down, not wanting to freak out in her seat right next to Kyoutani.  
  
He’s not a talker. He probably doesn’t want her to talk to him. She’ll probably just annoy him with her chattering. So, that’s fine. That’s fine. She can make up for the other stuff, though. She can be polite. She can greet him in the mornings and wish him a good day and he won’t think she’s a horrible, rude person and it’ll be good. It’ll be okay.  
  
It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine.  
  
The train pulls to her stop and Yachi jumps up in a fright, almost gasping a little. It’s feeling too hot on the train and she’s too jittery now, all her exhaustion shot to the side by anxious energy.  
  
Kyoutani doesn’t look at her when she stands and she flutters nervously, heart pounding too fast. She needs to hurry off before the doors close, but she wants to grab him and tell him she’s not as bad as he probably thinks.  
  
That’s a bad idea, though, and Yachi vaguely realizes it even as her hands twitch to do it.  
  
Kyoutani looks up with a frown after a moment, confusion on his face. Yachi’s cheeks burn so hot she can feel it and she thinks about melting to the floor, dying slowly.  
  
“Have- have a good night,” she squeaks finally.  
  
And then she darts off, panicked as the doors begin to close.  
  
She makes it out just in time and refuses to look back at Kyoutani, hurries away from the station with a hand to her heart and her cheeks stained crimson.  
  
Idiot. She’s such an idiot. So _embarrassing_.  
  
Yachi hurries home and buries herself under her covers, thoroughly done with the day.

* * *

  
The next morning.  
  
Her alarm blares loud and Yachi wakes up gasping, exhausted and disorientated.  
  
She dreamt about him. She _dreamt_ about him.  
  
Yachi shuts her alarm clock off and then runs her hand through her tangled hair before dropping her face into her hands.  
  
It was just a stress dream. A weird stress dream. She worked herself up into a _ridiculous_ panic and it followed her into her dreams and- _god_.  
  
She needs to figure out how to stop stressing out so much. She needs to figure out how to get a hold on her anxiety. She had been doing so good before the move…  
  
Yachi sighs and shakes her head, grinding the heels of her palms into her eyes before letting her hands drop.  
  
She just needs to forget about it. She dreams about people all the time. Yes, it had been amusing to see him with dog ears in her dream but they hadn’t really even interacted during it and it was just a silly stress dream without any real significance.  
  
It’s no big deal.  
  
Yachi tells herself that and she tells herself it again before rolling out of bed, determined to throw herself into her morning routine and forget about it.  
  
She ends up running into a trash can during her jog thinking about how dream Kyoutani had howled like a wolf after spiking past Tsukishima’s block.  
  
What a weird dream.  
  
Yachi huffs at herself all morning, annoyed. She’s in one of her weird moods, easily frustrated and self-critical in a way that doesn’t bring anxiety but annoyance. It’s not a mood she likes, but it’s somewhat better than having to deal with baseless apprehension and she doesn’t know whether she’s grateful to not be anxious or upset that she’s moody.  
  
Why can’t she simply be happy for once?  
  
When she leaves to the station, Yachi accidentally slams the door behind her and she’s left feeling guilty when the noise reverberates down the hallway.  
  
The guilt helps her calm down, just a little, and Yachi hurries to the station, talking herself down from her bad mood the best she can. She somehow manages to ignore the usual stares and looks she gets as she waits for the train to pull into her stop and focuses instead on her mood and trying to be stable, steady.  
  
Maybe it isn’t better than her anxiety.  
  
The train pulls in not long after she arrives and Yachi boards it a touch impatiently, displeased when she’s bumped into. She walks into the car and glances around, finds Kyoutani sitting down with an empty seat next to him.  
  
Nerves flutter in her stomach when she remembers the way she had squeaked out a goodbye to him the day before, but she pushes past it the best she can, walks quietly over to Kyoutani and sits down.  
  
She needs to stop being a baby. She needs to act normal. He won’t think any better of her if she has a meltdown in the train car.  
  
Yachi takes a deep, quiet breath after sitting down and then slides her phone from her purse, looks down at it and swallows as anxiety battles with frustration.  
  
“Good morning,” she murmurs to Kyoutani, quiet but able to keep from stuttering.  
  
She doesn’t look at him but she can feel him looking at her, wants to peek and see his reaction but forces herself to stare at her phone. He doesn’t say anything and Yachi wonders if she’s bothered him, hates the thought of being a pest to him when she already is to so many other people.  
  
Her heart clenches at the lack of response and that’s when anxiety takes over, her mood flipping so fast that it almost hurts.  
  
Yachi almost sniffles, overwhelmed by the change of emotions, but then Kyoutani takes a breath beside her, his posture seeming to relax.  
  
“Good morning,” he tells her, quiet and mumbled.  
  
Yachi blinks and then she blinks again, her lips twitching into a watery smile that she can’t quite keep.  
  
She’s ridiculous, she tells herself. She’s ridiculous.  
  
They ride the rest of the way in silence and Yachi tries to calm her stuttering heart, the cocktails of emotions that makes it almost hard to breathe.  
  
Maybe she needs to talk to someone about it, she thinks for probably the thousandth time. This can’t be right. It shouldn’t be like this, probably. She shouldn’t be struggling so much.  
  
But maybe she’s being dramatic. It’s not that bad, usually. She’ll probably just be told she’s too sensitive, like she’s been told so many times before.  
  
It isn’t worth bothering anyone over. She just needs to be better.  
  
Yachi closes her eyes right as the train pulls into Kyoutani’s stop, feels quiet exhaustion wash over her. She feels tired again, wants to crawl back home and not deal with anyone or anything. It feels like it might be a bad day and she wants to avoid it.  
  
For a moment she thinks about skipping, but ends up huffing over the idea.  
  
Right. Like she could ever do that. She hasn’t missed a day of school since she in the seventh grade.  
  
Yachi sighs and opens her eyes, drops them down to look at her phone. Hinata’s texted her and she thinks she should answer it but she’s not sure if she has the energy to try to decipher his text messages.  
  
The Seijoh students begin to filter out of the train and Kyoutani stands up from his seat, the movement tugging at Yachi’s attention. She blinks when she notices him pause, drags her eyes up to peek at him curiously. His own look away when they meet and Yachi blinks again, a little confused by his lingering.  
  
“Have a good day,” Kyoutani mumbles suddenly, turning away from her as soon as the words leave him.  
  
The words are almost too quiet to hear with the shuffling of the other students and they leave Yachi a little shocked, jaw dropping as he begins to walk away. It’s only reflex that keeps her polite, instinct making her jerk up straight in her seat and grip at its edge.  
  
“You too!” Yachi calls after him.  
  
People look at her but she’s too caught up in her surprise to notice, trying to see if Kyoutani reacts to her. He doesn’t- at least not noticeably- and Yachi slumps in her seat once the train pulls from the stop, a little dazed.  
  
Well. She certainly hadn’t expected that.  
  
Does that mean he doesn’t think she’s rude or weird? Does that mean he doesn’t mind her?  
  
Yachi doesn’t know and it leaves her confused trying to puzzle it out, distracted to the point she almost misses her stop.  
  
It’s nothing to obsess over, she tells herself. It’s nothing important. Just a simple exchange of pleasantries. Even someone rough and grumbly like Kyoutani can wish someone a good day- feel as if they should.  
  
Yachi walks from her station to school in a distracted little daze, anxieties forgotten and frustration long abandoned.  
  
Yachi gets an A on a pop quiz that day and receives praise from her teacher for doing good work, is gifted a small bounty of cakes from Yamaguchi by order of his mother. The library finally receives the book she’s been wanting to read for a while and, after practice, she manages to spike a ball at Hinata’s request without hitting anyone with it on accident.  
  
Yachi has a good day. Yachi has a really good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi and hello on [my tumblr](https://moramew.tumblr.com/)~

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi and hello on [my tumblr](https://moramew.tumblr.com/)~


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